This year was unique in SPAAMFAA history in that for the first time in many years both of the Society’s semi-annual meetings were held in the same state. The Southwest Ohio Chapter hosted the 2006 Winter Convention in Cincinnati in February. Four months later the Central Ohio Chapter presented the 2006 Summer Convention and National Muster in the state capital of Columbus.

While the winter meeting didn’t include a muster as such, the varied program included visits to the superb Cincinnati Fire Museum downtown and tours of member Chip Lytle’s large fire apparatus collection and workshop and the rural Brothers Three Museum. In addition to a huge muster at the Ohio State Fire Academy in suburban Reynoldsville, the Summer Meet program hosted by Central Ohio in late June offered visits to the United States Air Force Museum near Dayton, a pilgrimage to the former Seagrave Corporation plant on the south edge of Columbus and tours of two of Sutphen’s plants. Tom Sutphen – father of the Sutphen Tower – showed us his private auto collection at one of the locations.

Two new chapters – West Virginia Panhandle and the Black Diamond Chapter were chartered this year.